A disturbing consequence of the use, and over-use, of beta-lactam antibiotics (e.g., penicillins and cephalosporins) has been the development and spread of beta-lactamases. Beta-lactamases are enzymes that open the beta-lactam ring of penicillins, cephalosporins, and related compounds, to inactivate the antibiotic. The production of beta-lactamases is an important mechanism of resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics among Gram-negative bacteria.
Expanded-spectrum cephalosporins have been specifically designed to resist degradation by the older broad-spectrum beta-lactamases such as TEM-1, 2, and SHV-1. Microbial response to the expanded-spectrum cephalosporins has been the production of mutant forms of the older beta-lactamases called extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs). Although ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae were first reported in Europe in 1983 and 1984, ESBLs have now been found in organisms of diverse genera recovered from patients in all continents except Antarctica. The occurrence of ESBL-producing organisms varies widely with some types more prevalent in Europe (TEM-3), others more prevalent in the United States (TEM-10, TEM-12 and TEM-26), while others appear worldwide (SHV-2 and SHV-5). These enzymes are capable of hydrolyzing the newer cephalosporins and aztreonam. Studies with biochemical and molecular techniques indicate that many ESBLs are derivatives of older TEM-1, TEM-2, or SHV-1 beta-lactamases, some differing from the parent enzyme by one to four amino acid substitutions.
In addition, resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli to cephamycins and inhibitor compounds such as clavalante have also arisen via acquisition of plasmids containing the chromosomally derived AmpC beta-lactamase, most commonly encoded by Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Citrobacter freundii. 
It is of particular concern that genes encoding the beta-lactamases are often located on large plasmids that also contain genes for resistance to other antibiotic classes including aminoglycosides, tetracycline, sulfonamides, trimethoprim, and chloramphenicol. Furthermore there is an increasing tendency for pathogens to produce multiple beta-lactamases. These developments, which occur over a wide range of Gram-negative genera, represent a recent evolutionary development in which common Gram-negative pathogens are availing themselves of increasingly complex repertoires of antibiotic resistance mechanisms. Clinically, this increases the difficulty of identifying effective therapies for infected patients.
Thus, there is a need for techniques that can quickly and accurately identify the types of beta-lactamases that may be present in a clinical isolate or sample, for example. This could have significant implications in the choice of antibiotic necessary to treat a bacterial infection.